The Albany Update

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

Let’s start today’s program with some international news. Last week it was reported that China is again relaxing its policy regarding how many children a family is permitted to have.

Then, a national pro-life organization has launched a major campaign in response to the Supreme Court’s announcement that it will consider a landmark abortion case.

Continuing on the pro-life front, 62 leaders of pro-life organizations, including New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, are urging congressional leadership not to leave federal pro-life protections behind when they pass President Biden’s first budget.

Then, closer to home, we’ll look at what relaxing COVID regulations mean for churches in the Empire State.

Finally, we’re about to enter the last week of the 2021 regular legislative session. We’ll let you know where things stand now.

Let’s get started.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

Let’s start today’s program with some good news. The pandemic has caused more parents to consider homeschooling and private school options for their families’ educational needs. Fewer parents are relying on public schools for their kids.

Then, because of a swift public backlash, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration is reversing its policy that required children aged two to five to wear face masks in day care and camp settings.

Next, turning to state issues a troubling piece of end-of-life legislation is starting to move in the final seven days of the legislative session. This one could leave dementia patients to starve.

We’re also seeing a legislative effort to force utility companies to use a person’s preferred personal pronouns, rather than those consistent with the person’s sex. It’s the coercive power of government sending even more confusion into the gender identity debate.

Finally, it’s Memorial Day weekend and Gov. Andrew Cuomo is encouraging flags be flown at half-staff in honor of frontline workers lost during the COVID crisis. Republicans are speaking out reminding the Governor that as grateful as we are for those workers, Memorial Day is set aside for those members of the Armed Forces who have died in liberty’s defense.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

Last week, the masks came off the faces of many New Yorkers and it was also the unmasking of Governor Andrew Cuomo. For months, the Governor has been dodging details regarding the contract he signed to publish a book during the height of the pandemic. At the same time, his administration was allegedly fudging the numbers on nursing home deaths. Now, the Governor’s tax returns reveal that he is poised to receive $5.1 Million for his COVID book deal.

Next, we’ll spend a good portion of our program looking at the Supreme Court’s announcement that it will review a decision that will likely have major ramifications for unborn life and abortion rights in America.

Then, faith-based schools will want to pay special attention to a piece of legislation that our organization is concerned about. It deals with the issue of Substantial Equivalency and state oversight of private schools.

And finally, our organization would be appreciative of your prayers on our behalf as we enter the final ten working days of the 2021 regular legislative session.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

In today’s episode we’ll tell you how the Biden Administration has reversed course from the Trump Administration and will resume ghastly research utilizing aborted babies.

Then, we’ll turn to state news and look at an effort one Albany politician is promoting to create a statewide vaccine database.

And on a similar topic, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s pronouncement that all students will need a vaccination to attend state universities and colleges this fall is stirring up a lot of opposition.

At the same time, Republican leaders in the State Senate and Assembly are accusing the Assembly Democratic Majority of dragging its feet on the Cuomo impeachment investigation.

And finally, there is another candidate who has entered the race to challenge Andrew Cuomo or whomever the Democrats put up for governor in 2022.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

We’re down to the final five weeks of the legislative session and today we’ll tell you about five bills we’re watching in the last lap.

First, there was motion last week on the Public University Emergency Contraception Education Act. It has members of the pro-life community concerned.

There are also indicators that Planned Parenthood and their political allies in Albany are preparing to make a push for mandatory public sex ed before the end of session.

Then, there is an effort to raise the age of marriage in New York to eighteen, but leave the age of sexual consent at seventeen. This creates a conundrum that discourages marital monogamy.

And, while not likely to see passage anytime soon, we want to make you aware of a bill that would make it a felony to intentionally injure a pregnant woman.

Finally, last week there was a debate over assisted suicide legislation. We’ll tell you how it went and where you can watch it yourself.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

The Biden Administration is wasting no time in rolling back the pro-life advances made during the Trump presidency. This time, it’s targeting the Title X Protect Life Rule.

Next, a group of pro-life churches and organizations are taking New York’s requirement that employers provide abortion coverage in health insurance plans to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Then, our state has taken another step toward legalization of prostitution. The Manhattan District Attorney has announced that his office would stop prosecuting cases of prostitution and unlicensed massage.

Following that, we’ll see that the progressive effort to redefine the language surrounding the social construct known as gender identity continues. This time, Democrats want to force even utility providers to participate in promoting their agenda.

Finally, new information has emerged regarding Governor Andrew Cuomo’s COVID book deal and the coverup of nursing home deaths.

Let’s get started.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

Last week, the President of Planned Parenthood released an op-ed indicating that the abortion conglomerate would stop apologizing for its racist history under founder Margaret Sanger. Planned Parenthood is finally reckoning with its past, but it’s still failing to reckon with its present, and that is a problem.

Then, in Albany, Planned Parenthood’s political allies continue to target New York’s pro-life pregnancy centers. A bill that would hinder the vital work of pregnancy centers is on the move. Our organization is working to stop it.

Even more troubling, though is an effort to pass the New York Health Act. This legislation would virtually eliminate private health insurance in this state and move everyone to a costly, liberty-infringing, government-run healthcare plan.

Then, if you haven’t been to the State Capitol lately. It’s a dystopian-looking scene with ‘No Trespassing’ signs, fencing, concrete barriers, and other blockades that have been placed around the People’s House, but it’s a metaphor of just how broken state government is. It’s time to re-open the Capitol and restore constitutional rights, like the freedom to assemble, to the people of this state again.

Finally, as a Christian organization, we believe in the power of prayer. There’s a lot to pray about for our state and nation. We’ll be offering some suggested prayer requests for the month of May.

Let’s get started.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

There is undoubtedly an attempt to remake America in the progressive mold in the modern Democratic Party. Case in point, is the conversation regarding the left’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court with thirteen justices, up four from the present nine.

Then, with an eye toward New York City’s mayoral race, we’ll see that the frontrunner Andrew Yang, an abortion supporter, is coming under attack for simply saying that abortion need not be celebrated. Remember when Democrats used to say that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare? Well, that was then. This is now. Today, they only believe it must always be legal, safety and rarity are secondary concerns.

Next up, there was a little known, but significant court ruling that may help protect people with developmental disabilities.

Then, we’re entering the second half of the 2021 legislative session. Buckle up because things may get a little bumpy for social conservatives.

Finally, we’re announcing the release of a new resource that may help parents, grandparents, and others trying to help young people navigate transgender conversations. I’ll tell you more about it and how you can acquire your own copy of it.

Let’s get started.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

Last week, Arkansas became the first state in the nation to ban the performance of gender transition procedures upon minors. At New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, we hope this is the first of many states to come.

Then, in Ohio we’ll look at a federal case that protects the free speech rights of faculty at public universities—even when that speech is politically incorrect.

Turning to state news, we’ll put a spotlight on a couple of proposals in the recently passed $212 Billion State Budget.

And while a lot of attention has been on the budget in recent days, we need to revisit the scandal surrounding Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s book deal.

Finally, we have the first formal announcement of a candidate for New York State Governor. Let the games begin.

Let’s get started.

Thank you for joining this week’s edition of the Albany Update.

For those of you keeping track of the issues surrounding transgender athletes participating in girls’ competitive sports. You might be interested in something strange going on in South Dakota where Gov. Kristi Noem has been practicing the ‘South Dakota Shuffle’.

Then, we’ll bring it back home and look at the New York news story of the week, where we became the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana.

On a more positive note, the Legislature has passed, and the Governor signed into law a protection for nursing home residents that will guarantee their right to have two personal caregivers be allowed to visit them—even in times of declared public health emergency.

Fourth, we’re going to unpack Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to utilize vaccine passports. It’s raising a number of concerns.

Finally, our Legislative Day livestream was so successful that we’ve decided to launch a new monthly feature we’re calling Albany Update LIVE. I’ll tell you more about it and how you can participate in this new program.

Let’s get started.